Monarques fly free at Becker

Students huddled under patches of shade to watch Monarques play at the Becker Amphitheater Wednesday afternoon.

After the last two scorching days, students slowly came out of the air conditioned rooms after hearing the banging on tambourines from a distance.

“Josh had a dream one night that he was a French ruler. ” said one of the band members.

Josh Spacek, lead vocalist of Monarques, started to laugh.

“This is not true, I just like the word monarch and then decided to add the ‘q-u-e’,” said Spacek. “And the ‘S’ at the end just sounds so nice; it’s a cool word.”

This seven man band from Portland, Oregon sounds like a beach party with your first crush. Spacek said he’s influenced by bands like the Kinks and the Rolling Stones. By incorporating old rock ‘n’ roll from the ‘50s and bubblegum pop, the Monarques would pretty much sum up the sounds of the West Coast, if it made noise.

The Monarques are relatively new, but are quickly gaining a reputation with the indie crowd. Even though they started playing shows just weeks ago, they seem like a family.

Spacek said it started with him just wanting to start a band.

“And they all showed up,” he said. All seven of them.

Art major Jason Le said this band goes perfectly with the weather right at the moment. There was a constant breeze that swept the stage, leaving students relaxed and at ease. Le was sitting under the tree with friend enjoying their breaks.

“We were walking by here, and I heard their music and I just really liked the way they sound,” said Le who stayed for the entire show.

Jared Mees and the Grown Children, another band from Portland, opened for the Monarques. Their album, Caffeine Alcohol Sunshine and Money, was released two years ago, but playing constant live shows in Northwest California kept their genre of messy folk still sounding new.

“I like the incorporation of the trumpet,” said theatre major Benjamin Benne. “I thought it gave them something unique from this kind of genre.”

Both of these bands have the same theme of just having fun. The style of music reminds you of being a child again where you just want to clap and sing along. It’s about having a good time.

“They’re really fun and upbeat bands,” said Le. “It’s a nice change from a lot of the music that’s being played today that are popular.”

This group of musicians will be continuing their stops in California on their west coast tour. For more showings at the Becker Amphitheater, go to asi.fullerton.edu.